The 25 stories iPod shuffle challenge
by ToniaB
Summary: A collection of 25 stories based on the titles of 25 songs. 7. Crave.
1. Kiss The Girl

A/N: This story is based on the title of the song Kiss the Girl from "The Little Mermaid". It takes place in Season 1.

English is not my native language, so be nice.

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**Kiss the Girl**

Major Sheppard, the always helpful, had said: "Why don't you just kiss the girl?" And that was actually what Chuck did. On a moonlit walk on the South Pier he had stopped her, and then kissed her – Ravina, the dark haired, brown eyed Athosian girl.

It was not the kiss that was the problem; it was that her brother, Saafet, had seen it.

***

Chuck sighed. He was sitting in Elizabeth Weir's office, looking at his hands. She was about to finish her lecture on how he was an integral part of the Atlantis expedition, and how important it was for the expedition to respect the cultures of the civilizations they came in contact with. "As the Athosians are our guests on this base, it is especially important that we preserve the good relations we have with them," Weir said.

Of course he knew that he was a part of the Atlantis expedition, he had always been really proud of it. The technician was about to push back the nail fold on his left index finger when he felt Teyla's eyes watching him, and looked up at her. "I am sorry if I have offended your people," he told the Athosian leader.

***

Teyla smiled mildly at the man sitting in front of her. He looked small under doctor Weir's stern gaze. She had known of his and Ravina's weakness for each other for some time. They had tried to keep it a secret, but Teyla knew, along with everyone else in the city, that this was an impossible task in a community as small as this. Ravina had come to her a few weeks earlier and told her about the Earthling she had met in cafeteria. They had talked for a while, and soon found out that they wanted to get to know each other better. Teyla knew how charming some of the male members of the Atlantis expedition could be.

"It is not me you need to apologize to," she told the young Canadian.

***

Chuck got up from the chair, glad to get out the claustrophobic office. He was silently deciding never to listen to Major Sheppard's advice again, when he felt Teyla's hand on his shoulder. "If you want, I could talk to Saafet," she said in a low voice. "He is a bit overprotective, but it is just because he loves his sister very much."

Chuck smiled gratefully at her as they walked into the control room. "I would very much like that," he replied and took his place by the control panel, thinking about a dark haired, brown eyed Athosian girl.


	2. Down by the Glenside

A/N: This story's title is from the song Down by the Glenside performed by Nicci Berry.

It (sort of) takes place in season 2.

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**Down by the Glenside**

Carson looked at the green glen in front of him. As he crossed it on his way to the small lake, he whistled a happy tune. The fly rod over his shoulder skipped up and down, and the creel packed full with artificial flies, fishing line and hooks swung from side to side. A smile crossed his lips. Fishing was his favorite hobby, and he was looking forward to spending a couple of hours at the waterside.

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a voice. The distant screams soon grew louder.

"Carson! Carson, you have to come!"

When he looked up, he could see several boys approaching. As always Duncan was at the head of the group.

"Carson, you have to see it!" The boy's eyes glimmered with anticipation. "We've found a cave!"

Carson looked skeptically at the red-headed boy. "A cave? What sort of cave?"

"A secret cave. The entrance is by the big rock on the hillside. You know the big rock your mother doesn't want you to play on. The cave is really well hidden, and probably full of diamonds, gold and bones of people who died horrible deaths there!"

The other boys nodded eagerly. Denis, a big boy with brown hair, nudged Carson so hard in the side that he almost fell over.

"We're going to check it out. Do you want to come or are you too scared?"

Carson could feel a nervous shiver run through his body. He didn't answer, but followed the pack of boys. He didn't want them to think that he was a coward; although he had a suspicion that they already knew that he was one.

As they walked towards the big rock where the cave opening was, the tension among the boys rose. Carson could feel his heart beating. He had never been among the bravest of the group, and he found this adventure to be a bit too exciting.

The cave opening soon came into sight, and the chatter among the children stopped. Duncan took a few steps forwards.

"Who wants to join me?" he asked. "I'm going in."

Nobody answered.

The red-headed boy grinned. He had probably known the answer before he asked, Carson thought to himself. His heart beat loudly as Duncan made his way to the opening and put his head inside it. Carson looked at the boy in awe. He almost expected a beast to jump out of the cave and bite Duncan's head off. But nothing happened. Soon not only the boy's head, but his whole body, had been consumed by the darkness of the cave. The boys looked at each other, and slowly they took a few steps towards the hole in the mountain.

A few minutes passed, and still there was no sign of Duncan.

The boys stared at the cave, breathing slowly and almost in unison. Several of them gasped as a sound suddenly came from the darkness in front of them. The awful scream chilled them to the bone. They moved closer in together, thinking of the terrible monster the horrific sound had to belong to.

Then Duncan jumped out, shrieking like a madman, and laughing hysterically when he saw the reaction on the boys' faces.

"Cowards!" he laughed. "You are all a bunch of cowards!"

***

Carson woke with his heart raising and sweat running from his forehead. What had woken him was the sound of a heart monitor flatlining.

"Who's dying?!" he exclaimed.

As he looked around the room he saw the grinning face of John Sheppard and knew that the man had imitated the sound of the heart monitor flatlining again.

"Good morning, doctor. Have you slept well?"

Carson stared at him. "I have told you! Don't ever do that to me again!"

Sheppard just patted him on the back. "You have to get up now."

Carson slowly shook his head. At least he was in his own office in Atlantis. Here no cave monsters could come for him. Only life-sucking aliens…


	3. In Our Lifetime

**A/N: **This story is based on the title of the song "In Our Lifetime" performed by the Scottish band Texas.

It is set in Season 2

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**In Our Lifetime**

It was a comment from Atlantis' Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Carson Beckett, which started it all. "I was going through an old album, and I found a picture of myself from secondary school," he said. "I had the most terrible mullet."

Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard and Dr. Rodney McKay both grimaced as they pictured the Scottish doctor with the most horrible hairdo they could imagine.

John started to laugh. "Oh, this is one picture I HAVE to see."

Carson nodded. "Aye, my hair has seen better days," he admitted.

The Czech scientist, Dr. Radek Zelenka, looked puzzled at them. "Mullet? What is that?"

Rodney answered him. He nodded towards Dr. Phillo at the neighbouring table. "That's a mullet."

Radek turned to study the American biologist. He was a rather short man, dressed in the Atlantis uniform, just as everyone else in the cafeteria.

Radek did not, however, find his hairdo to be out of the ordinary. "That's how young men in Eastern Europe wear their hair now," he said.

Rodney turned to John. "You had a mullet, didn't you? You had to have one. As I remember, all the so called cool guys had one of those."

He used air quotes to emphasize the word "cool".

John grinned. "I was cool, yes. I still am. But I did not have a mullet. I was not one of the 'business in the front party in the back' kind of guys. And I take it you were not one of the so called cool guys you are referring to?"

The lieutenant colonel mimicked the Canadian's use of air quotes.

John grinned as he pictured Rodney in high school; a geek dressed in a pullover vest and corduroy pants, his face covered in acne, and his hair combed flat. He would definitely be the kind of boy many of the military guys in Atlantis would bully. He would probably have been given wedgies on a regularly basis. John actually knew for a fact that many of the military guys in the city were willing to give Rodney McKay wedgies even today, but they did not dare because they were too afraid of the consequences.

Rodney shook his head. "No, I was not. The high school years were not actually the high point in my life," he mumbled.

John patted Rodney on the back and turned to the Czech. "How was your hair in high school, Radek?"

Radek let his hand run through it. "Well," he said. "There was definitely more of it."

Carson: "It got thinner when you started working with Rodney, I can imagine."

The Czech smiled, but did not answer. Rodney looked at Carson with an offended gaze.

He and John just laughed.

"I guess we should all be glad high school is over," Carson said. "Along with our bad hair days."


	4. White Trash Wedding

This story is based on the title of the song "White Trash Wedding" performed by The Dixie Chicks.

It is set late in season 3.

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****White Trash Wedding**

Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard was usually not too happy when he had to observe cultural events on off-world missions. He had lost the count of how many harvesting feasts he had been made to attend over the last three years. He had wanted to stay on Atlantis. There was some work he hadn't been able to finish earlier that day, and he really wanted to attend the guys' poker night. In stead he was sitting here, on the Horaians' planet watching a ceremony he had no desire to witness.

This time they had been invited to a wedding. The whole team was there, thanks to Teyla. She had even managed to drag McKay away from whatever he was working on. That really was an accomplishment, John thought. But then again, Teyla had always had the skills of talking people into doing anything she thought they should do, even though they were not too enthusiastic about it themselves.

John looked over to the group of villagers in front of him. They were all dressed in their best clothes and the small village was decorated with ribbons and bows in different colours. He had to admit that he liked the people in this pre-industrial community. They were easy-going and friendly. On several occasions John had come across, to put it mildly, less than friendly civilisations.

As the bride and groom recited their vows, Teyla leaned in towards him.

"It is so beautiful," she said.

John looked at her. Women's attraction to weddings had always puzzled him. He had never quite understood it. Being tied down to one person for life… He found the thought to be a bit too claustrophobic.

"Yes," he answered her. "It's beautiful."

Rodney shot him a look of disgust, as if he had not heard anything more preposterous in his whole life. John shrugged and nodded his head in the direction of Teyla, as to tell the Canadian why he would make such a comment about the ritual which was taking place in front of them.

The ceremony was apparently over as the bride and groom made their way into the crowd which was full of smiling people who were applauding them. John watched as the young woman and the young man received hugs and blessings from their family and friends. There was especially one face among the villagers which interested him. It was the face of a young beautiful girl. John had always had a talent for noticing the beautiful girls. She looked up and met his eyes with a smile. John smiled back, thinking that maybe this night would not be so bad after all.

John's thoughts were disturbed as Teyla started to drag him by his arm.

"Come," she said eagerly.

"Where are we going?"

"To pay our respects and to join the celebrations," she said. "The Horaians are quite famous for their parties."

As they walked into the house where the party was held, John understood what Teyla had meant. People were dancing and laughing, and it seemed like they were having the time of their lives. A bottle was being passed around. It was full of some sort of clear liquid. John looked sceptical at it, but when someone gave it to him, he had to try. He put the bottle to his lips and swallowed a little of the liquid. He could feel it burn all the way down his throat and soon he started to cough. The drink most definitely had a sting to it. John passed the bottle to Teyla.

"What is this?" he asked her.

"It is a local drink, and it is quite common in the Horaisans' festivities."

Teyla took a small sip and passed the bottle on.

John smiled as he looked at the people in front of him. This wedding reminded him of one of the weddings he once attended on earth. It had been one of his friends from high school who had gotten hitched. It was what some might classify as 'a white trash wedding'.

He did not get more time to think. The girl he had noticed in the ceremony earlier came towards him and dragged him onto the dance floor. Soon he was so involved in the dance that he forgot all he had worried about earlier that day.

***

A few hours later the party was coming to an end. People were starting to go back to their houses. John got up from the chair he had been sitting in when he suddenly saw Rodney. The Canadian physicist was lying in a corner, sleeping. He had obviously taken one too many sips of the drink the Horaians had offered the Atlantians. John walked over to him to wake him up.

"Rodney? Hey, Rodney!"

He did not get a response.

John leaned over him. "Zelenka has come up with a solution for the problem you two have been working on for weeks," he whispered in the Canadian's ear.

John was not really surprised to see Rodney jumping up.

"What?!"

He looked around, confused and dazed.

John grinned. "Come on. We're going home."

With an arm on Rodney's back and a satisfied smile on his face John led his team back to the comforts of Atlantis.


	5. Will I See You Again?

This story is based on the title of the song "Will I See You Again?" performed by the Swedish artist E-Type.

It is set late in season 3.

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**Will I See You Again?**

Major Evan Lorne was having the day off. As he had nothing special planned, he decided to take a walk throughout the city to see if he could get inspiration for his newest painting. His mother, who was an art teacher, had always told him that if he wanted to be inspired, he would have to seek out the inspiration himself. She had also told him that if he wasn't inspired, he shouldn't paint. Art was not something to be rushed. Evan smiled as the thoughts of his mother crossed his mind.

He had been on Atlantis for some time now, and life here was never dull. Even though he faced life threatening situations almost on a daily basis, he could not dream about trading the opportunities he had received by going here with a life back on Earth. Of course he missed his family. He missed his mother, his father, his sister and his sister's two children. They were getting big now, big enough to play catch and football with. Some days he wondered if he was ever going to see them again. But he knew he had to push those thoughts away if he was to perform to the best of his abilities while he was here.

As he walked through the cafeteria, he could see John Sheppard sitting there with Elizabeth Weir. Evan saluted his commanding officer. Even though Sheppard was not particularly strict when it came to the protocol, Evan still liked to follow the correct procedures. He shifted his gaze to Weir. She was a skilled woman, he thought. And he could certainly see why the IOA had chosen her to be the leader of the Atlantis expedition. Her diplomatic abilities had come in handy here in the Pegasus Galaxy. In the beginning Evan had found taking orders from a civilian a bit strange, but Weir had soon earned the respect of both him and his fellow Marines.

Evan walked on, and as he came closer to the laboratories, he heard a familiar voice. It was Dr. Rodney McKay screaming at some of his co-workers. Evan had to smile. Although he liked McKay, he could not understand how people could stand working with a man of his arrogance. The man was brilliant. Evan knew that, but still it was no excuse for treating people the way the Canadian physicist did. Soon Evan could hear the voice of Dr. Radek Zelenka answering McKay. What normally happened was that McKay would take out his frustrations on Zelenka, but occasionally the Czech scientist bit back. Evan knew from experience that it was not pleasant to be present when those two started their banters, and hurried along.

As he walked out on the South Pier, he could se Teyla Emmagan sitting there, looking out over the ocean. He headed towards her and he could see the blue water sparkling in the sunlight. It was a beautiful sight. As he came nearer, he could see Teyla close her eyes and tilt her head backwards, letting the rays of the sun warm her face. He stopped, not wanting to disturb her. She looked so peaceful. In stead he turned around to look at the city. It was bathed in sunlight, and the sight of it was impressive.

Evan smiled. He had just found his inspiration.


	6. She's Got Issues

**A/N: **She's Got Issues by the Offspring.

This story is placed in season 2, post The Intruder.

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**She's Got Issues**

Elizabeth sighed and leaned her forehead against the cold surface of the window of her quarters. She looked out at the water below. Normally the sight soothed her, but not today. The feelings raged inside her, and she felt like the water should rage too. She was angry. Angry at the universe.

Men, she thought. They were hopeless. Every single one of them. And right now she hated every man she knew.

Colonel Caldwell for thinking he could take the military command of Atlantis from John Sheppard. Elizabeth really didn't like the way he made sharp remarks at her, and at Sheppard, for that matter. She could understand that the man was angry and frustrated, but there still was no excuse for this kind of behaviour from a grown man.

She was angry with McKay for… well, for being McKay. There wasn't a single man alive that she could be so frustrated with and yet be so grateful to have on her team. When she came to think about it, he really was an asset. Not that she was going to tell him that in the near future. If she did so, his ego would probably inflate and take the whole of Atlantis up in space.

Dr. Beckett for not having picked Simon for his team. Well, that was not really Beckett's fault, she knew that.

She was angry with Simon for not wanting to come to Atlantis. And for finding someone else. Of course it had been she who had left him to begin with, but he was not supposed to find someone else. Not after such a short time. She had left him, yes, but she had not broken up with him. There was a difference, and clearly he did not see that.

Ford for hitting Zelenka and running off.

Zelenka for not stopping Ford.

And Hermiod… She was sure that Hermiod could be just as annoying as the rest of them. He was a guy after all, wasn't he?

She was angry with Major Sheppard for… No, he was Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard now. She had to remember that. Sheppard wasn't too bad after all. He was probably the only man she felt like she could completely trust. Whenever she had needed him over the last year, he had been there. He had an ability to sooth her with his mere presence; he never had to say much.

Elizabeth lifted her head and stretched out her back. She was the leader of this base, and she had to stand strong. She did love it, the city and all the people in it, even though she some times had to face days like this. What was it Sheppard had called it? Oh, yes, the burden of leadership.


	7. Crave

This story is based on the song Crave performed by Norwegian girl band Lilyjets.

I have borrowed Mar Komi's character Dr. Nina Dahl. You can read more about her in the stories _Underneath_ and _Tuning . _

/u/1876987/Mar_Komi

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**Crave (by a proud Norwegian)**

Rodney McKay normally had no trouble sleeping, but tonight his mind was preoccupied. He had spent the better half of his day working on an Ancient device Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard had found in a remote part of the city, and he had nothing to show for it. If there was one thing Rodney couldn't stand, it was failure. He had a hard time admitting to himself that there were some things he couldn't do, and an even harder time letting others realise it.

Rodney sighed and shifted his position. He turned on the light next to his bed and saw the empty can of the Diet Coke he had been drinking earlier that night. Diet Coke was Rodney's favourite drink, and he had his own little stock in his closet. He had made sure that it was resupplied whenever _the Daedelus_ came back from Earth. But now that storagewas empty, and it was still a couple of days until _the Daedelus_ would come back to Atlantis.

Feeling a sudden craving for more of the soda, andrealising that the whole city could be running low, Rodney hurriedly got up from bed and threw on his robe. Quickly he made his way down the dark corridors towards the kitchen. As he opened the door, he stopped dead in his tracks. He saw a person standing there, bathed in the light from the refrigerator. It was Dr. Nina Dahl, the bioengineer from Norway.

Rodney's eyes narrowed. He felt nothing but contempt for the woman, and ever since she started dating Sheppard it was impossible to get away from her. Closing the door behind him, Rodney moved closer to the refrigerator. He'd be damned if he'd let that woman steel his Diet Coke.

Dr. Dahl turned around and a grin crossed her face when she saw him. "Hello, Rodney," she said. "Nice robe."

Rodney was about to reply when his eyes fell on her t-shirt. "Save a shrimp, kill a whale", it said. The woman was incredible… It didn't help much either, that she was from a country known for hunting whales. Rodney had developed a soft spot for the big animals after he had been trapped in a Jumper under water with a whale and an imaginary Samantha Carter as his only company.

Not able to retort with a snappy reply, Rodney just mumbled something and pushed past her to look inside the refrigerator. He was relieved to see that there was still one can of Diet Coke left. Determined to get it, he reached his hand inside – just as Dr. Dahl did the same. Panicking Rodney grabbed the first thing he could get a hold on, and from Dr. Dahl's sudden movements he guessed that she did the same. To his horror Rodney saw that what he was holding when he pulled his arm back was a piece of cheese cake, and that the Norwegian was standing there with his can of Diet Coke.

Rodney just stared at her for a few moments, and he noticed that she was doing the same. It dawned on him from the way she was looking at him, that she probably wanted the cheese cake just as much as he wanted the soda. "Give me the can first, and I'll give you the cake," he said.

Dr. Dahl scowled. "Oh, go suck on a lemon," she said. "I don't believe for a second that you're giving me that cake after I've handed you the soda."

Rodney sighed. She was right, of course. "On three, then? We'll both put it down on the counter."

"Fine. I'll do the counting. 1-2-3."

She didn't move.

"Hey!" Rodney exclaimed. "You didn't put it down!"

"Well, neither did you!"

Mumbling Rodney fixed his eyes on the can. If he didn't crave the soda that much, he could just take the cheese cake and leave. That would teach her, he thought.

Dr. Dahl moved a step closer. "Let's just hand it to each other," she said and reached out for the plate in Rodney's hand.

Even though he still didn't completely trust her, Rodney let her take a hold of the plate. He then reached out for the can with one hand, while holding on to the plate with the other. As he felt her grip on the can loosen, he yanked it towards him so hard that he fell backwards. Quickly he got up from the floor and eagerly opened the can just to have the contents splashed in his face and on his robe.

He heard Dr. Dahl laugh as he quickly left the room without saying a word.

***

The next morning Rodney walked in to the mess hall. He looked around and was relieved to see that there was no sign of either Sheppard or Nina Dahl. He was certain that she had told the colonel what had happened by now, and Rodney was in no mood for being teased about it. He grabbed a sandwich and a box of juice and turned around to head back to his office. Then he suddenly saw them coming through the door. Quickly Rodney walked past them, ignoring the Norwegian's greeting. What he couldn't ignore, however, was the text on her t-shirt. "If we had dolphins, we'd kill those too", it said.

Rodney shook his head. Insufferable woman, he thought.


End file.
